Kiefer Sutherland says he was shocked and heartbroken by Jack Layton's death

09/10/2011 03:36 EDT
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Updated
11/10/2011 05:12 EST

CP

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TORONTO - Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland says he was shocked and heartbroken by the death of former federal NDP leader Jack Layton, and he is still coming to grips with it.

Sutherland, who is in town to promote "Melancholia" at the Toronto International Film Festival, says he had been speaking with Layton throughout the federal election campaign and after the NDP's stunning ascension to become the official Opposition.

But he lost touch with Layton after he revealed that he'd had a setback in his cancer treatment.

"I got a message like, 'I'm sick again, I've got to deal with this,' and then he got very quiet and I didn't hear from him again. He'd been fighting it for so long and beating it — it was under control — and then for it to (strike again) like that I was absolutely stunned when that happened, it was heartbreaking," says Sutherland, who spoke softly and fought for composure as he paid tribute to Layton.

"It was just such an exciting time for him ... just take a look at what he did in Quebec, he got people to believe there was a shot to do something, and he deserves to have that as his legacy.

"He inspired people and made them believe in a time, in an economy, that no one believes in anything and he got them to really think there was a shot to make this place better."

Layton died on Aug. 22.

Sutherland's grandfather is Tommy Douglas, the former premier of Saskatchewan and the first federal leader of the NDP.